


Forged From Black Fire

by EmpressInferno



Series: The Fall of Man [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Archery, Canon-Typical Violence, Coping, Daggers, Dark Past, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by The Walking Dead, M/M, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Daryl Dixon, Reader-Insert, Smut, The Hilltop (Walking Dead), Walkers (Walking Dead), Wolf Pack, Zombie Apocalypse, reader is a badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-15 11:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20865212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressInferno/pseuds/EmpressInferno
Summary: This is Part 3 of The Fall Of Man series. It will focus on the aftermath of the war, Y/N's adventures, Rick's fate, and what happened before and after the big time jump.So much has changed already because of Y/N and The Wolf Pack. Alone once again, she must fight her way back to her family and set things right. Even with so much loss smearing blood on those left behind, a new threat appears on the horizon. Alexandria and united factions must band together...but they know only Y/N can do what needs to be done.*Read the tags for warnings*





	1. Walk With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Quick Note: This is not an alternate universe or a play by play rendition of The Walking Dead. This is an alternate timeline where events were changed due to your character's interference in the plot. Some things will remain the same and some things will be VERY different.
> 
> Key:  
Y/N -Your Name  
Y/E/C -Your Eye Color  
Y/S/C- Your Skin Color  
Y/H/L -Your Hair Length  
Y/H/C -Your Hair Color  
Y/H - Your Height (tall/short

_ _ _Two Years later...._

Blood sprayed across the concrete as the body spun and dropped to the ground with a wet thud. Darkness...only darkness. Not a twinkling light or a reflection, just endless darkness that seemed to take shape into something physical. Unheard shifting in the shadows and three more soldiers dropped dead. Hands prodded along the walls until they came upon a latch. The metallic bang and clang of the mechanism reverberated through the chamber. Blinding white light illuminated your face as you shuffle from the darkness. The pungent stench of blood and rotting flesh assault your nose. The facility had been overrun by a herd.

You peer down a long corridor, your broken and battered body leaning against the wall. Bare feet creep across shards of broken glass and sticky, congealed blood. Y/E/C eyes shift around, taking in the sight before you as you step over the bodies that litter the ground. Your gear is gone...long gone, for after you left Rick Grimes in the care of Jadis and Merle Dixon, things had went downhill rather quickly. Hydra had lost. The faction had fallen beneath your might as you traveled across the country for two years.

Dr. Wasting had found you washed up on the shore of the French Coast...a long ways away from home. He seemed alright at first, taking you in and giving you food and shelter. Grooming you like so many other predators in your past, but you were so weak that you barely fought against him as he dragged you down into the dredges of an old CDC building. They poked, prodded, and tortured you with their urgency to find a cure for the virus. It didn't matter anyway. Only the newly bitten would have had a chance. The rotting, snarling corpses walking around couldn't just grow back their organs and dead tissue...it was a fool's hope.

But they hurt you anyways. In the need for humans to stay alive, they became the monsters. Not all, of course. You had your pack waiting for you somewhere. You just needed to get home....

You push on, moving through the building until you stumble upon a storage locker that someone had opened in their haste to escape the building. Your trembling hands pried open the door, careful not to cause the hinges to squeak too loud. Quickly and without hesitation, you peel off the blood-soaked gown that had been your only source of modesty for the past four months. The clothes within the locker were nowhere near your size, but you didn't complain, pulling on the layers and binding your feet to protect them as you carried on through the building. The main control room was similar enough to the one in Atlanta that opening the doors had been the easiest thing you've done since leaving Alexandria.

The lack of power routed through the building didn't allow you to take the lift. You climbed inside and pushed up on the tiled ceiling until one gave. Then, you pulled yourself through the opening with wobbling arms. Chest heaving and sweat pouring down your face, you look up the shaft at the light beside the next door. The only way out is up, so you climbed the emergency maintenance ladder, feeling the burn and twitch of each muscle. Nausea began to coil in your gun as you got higher and higher. The next latch was harder to reach. You stretched out, bridging your body between the ladder and the door, reaching with just the tip of your fingers grazing the handle that opened the doors. It was useless. You climbed higher.

Stale air filled your lungs as you took a deep breath and pushed off the ladder, throwing yourself at the flat door so you could push the handle down. The door opened with a loud _SWOOSH_, causing you to fall. Your hands scramble for purchase, breaking three fingernails off on the concrete as you tried to keep yourself from plummeting to your death. An arm shot out and caught you before you could fall. A man yanked you to your feet only to feel a large shard of glass pierce through the bottom of his chin. Blood poured down your arm as he flailed slightly. You released the glass and let him drop like all the others.

You drop to your knees beside the body, taking the keycard and the small pistol from his clothes. Cold steel clicks and pops as you check the ammunition clip and the bullet in the chamber. That's when you hear it...the high-pitched mewls of a child. Your heart caught in your throat as you hobble through the main part of the building, searching in each room until you found the nursery. There he was...You drop to your knees and pull your son into your arms. Pretty blue eyes blinked through tears as you peppered his face with kisses. His chubby little arms wrapped around your neck and held you as tight as you held him. "Mom..."

You pressed a finger to his lips and he quieted down, though the tears still fell from his eyes. Picking up your son, you stuff a bag full of supplies and hurry out of the nursery. You stop dead in your tracks as a group of walkers turn toward you. Nothing could have made you slow down. You toss the bag over your shoulder as Landon buried his face in the crook of your neck while you run as fast as you can toward the exit doors. Unlike at the CDC you've been at before, the doors opened with a swipe of the keycard. Walkers milled through the streets outside, but you hauled ass around the building. Ducking, dodging, and sidestepping any hand that reached for your son.

Each block blurred to the next until you reached the beach. Hot sand scorched your feet, but a coat guard boat bobbed on the water. You set Landon down near the water. "Climb onto Mommy's back, baby," you tell him. He wiggles his small form up and wraps his arms around your neck. "Keep your chin up. Just like we talked about." It wasn't as though this was something you trained him for, but years on the road while he was too young to know what was happening...he had picked up a few tricks with his copy-cat mentality.

Landon was a quiet child in general. He barely cried as a baby and was extremely clingy from the beginning. He held on tight as you waded into the water. The bag was heavy and tried to pull you under a few times, but you kept going for your son. For Daryl. For Arowyn. For Rick. For the Wolf Pack. Slowly...so slowly you made your way to the boat and climbed up the side. "Hide. Nap time," you said. Nap time was your code for him to lay still with his eyes closed. Landon did as you asked as you checked the gun and cleared the walkers out of the boat.

After grabbing your son, you drove the boat along the coast until you found something that could take you back to the United Ruins of America -or so you began to call it. A small sailboat was the perfect thing. No walkers shuffled on the deck, either. It was similar to the one you were on before Dr. Wasting had found you.

"Come on, baby. Lets go find your daddy."

_Two years and three months later...._

Daryl Dixon knelt beside the trickling stream as he ran his knife down the belly of a fish. Arowyn crouched beside him with an impassive expression that reminded him of her mother. Y/N had never been the squeamish sort and neither was their daughter. His little girl poked at her own fish, always eager to learn his way of doing things. She loved hearing stories about her mother and getting piggy back rides from her Uncle Shane, but she was already a fighter. Y/N would be proud to know that she had adapted well to the new world while understanding the importance of family. Merle even stopped by their camp from time to time. Though Alexandria had been fixed up and the communities were coming together, Daryl didn't stop looking for his wife.

Rick was...Rick wasn't Rick anymore and that hurt, but he was alive. Every day he got better, according to Jadis's doctors. Negan was locked in a cell and Dwight had returned to help Shane run Sanctuary after it fell during the war. Daryl and Arowyn took the wolf pups and started training them the way Y/N had done with Tekah before the loyal wolf died. The rest of the pack were leaders in one way or another, but they always came together when things needed to be done. The worst part was Aaron. Though he and Jesus had a cozy little home with their daughter Grace at HillTop, the kind man never stayed away from Daryl's camp for long.

He fussed like a mother hen over Daryl and Arowyn. It was annoying, but it came from a good place. Everyone felt like they owed them something because she was gone. They treated him differently...so much that it was hard to accept their kindness sometimes. Daryl wouldn't give up, though. Rick survived because she had gotten him to safety. It had taken months to wiggle information out of Merle, but he eventually let it slip that Y/N was still alive. She survived on her own in the world long before he came along. He just had to wait.

"Tell me about mom..."

"Whattcha wanna hear, darlin'?" he grumbled. "Wanna hear the one about the time ya' mama cut down a whole herd of walkers to save your Uncle Merle?"

Arowyn's eyes went wide with wonder. Daryl looked down at the dagger sheathed at his little girl's hip and fought back tears. It was the last of Y/N gear. The rest had been tattered to shreds when Daryl found it in the forest. He cut open every walker he came across, looking for her ring to make sure they hadn't gotten to his wife. Arowyn touched his arm gently and Daryl started his tale. One of the wolves moseyed over and plopped down with its head in her lap. She petted the lazy mutt as she listened intently.

"Uncle Merle had been drinkin' like always. Ya' mama, she didn't have much of tolerance for that sort of thing. 'specially when there was a job needin' ta' be done," his deep voice rumbled. "He was drawin' walkers over with all of his racket. Shootin' guns and cussin' loud."

She giggled. "Sounds like Uncle Merle."

"Well, she knocked him out with the butt of his own gun and then fired her bow. One by one, they dropped like flies. When she ran out of arrows, your mama jumped from the building and took out that dagger...she moved like ya' wouldn't believe. If you think Michonne is good with her sword, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Your mama carved through those biters like they were nothin' and she did it so gracefully that you forgot she was fightin' for a minute and thought she was dancin'."

"Will I be like her?"

"You already are."

The pain at the center of Daryl's chest eased slightly when his daughter smiled. He looked down at the fish and got back to work, using it as a distraction. The other wolves came to camp before sunset like always, but one carried something in it's mouth. Daryl wrestled the object from the wolf's jaws and nearly fell over from shock. He grabbed his crossbow and whistled for Dog. The belgian malinois fit in well with the wolves and often accompanied him through the forest. "Stay here, Arrow. Don't wander off. Keep quiet and -"

"I know, Daddy."

"Good girl."

"What is it?" she asked when he headed toward the treeline.

Daryl looked over his his shoulder and let the item dangle from his fingers. It was a necklace made of ears. And he knew only one person who ever did that...


	2. Home To You

The three months it took you to make it to Virginia were hell. You shuffle through the underbrush with a map clutched in your hand and a fussy toddler in the other. Landon was hungry and began sniffling about a mile back. His little belly rumbled and guilt clenched in your heart. You couldn't leave him behind to hunt, so you searched for berries or anything else to calm his hunger until you made it to Alexandria. Something rustled in the bushes to your left and you sank back into the shadows. Landon must have sensed your unease. He went quiet instantly. A branch snapped and there was no doubt in your mind that someone was trailing you.

You turn around and set Landon down. "Nap time," you whispered in his ear. He laid down and closed his eyes as you reached for the knife in your belt. Someone's sent was strong on the wind...familiar, but lost in the fog of your memory. You moved silently, bare feet chilled from the damp earth as you move closer to your target. You circled around, coming up from behind to see just the shadow of whoever was following you. They moved quick, throwing you against the tree. You kick out, hitting them in hip and forcing them to take a knee. Your knife slashes out, but they evade your maneuver with skilled reflexes and instinct that rivaled your own.

Strong hands gripped your wrist and twisted, but you followed the momentum to keep your bones from breaking. You grabbed the knife with the other hand before it could hit the ground and held it to the man's throat. Blue eyes suddenly caught your attention. A crooked smile formed on lips you knew with breathtaking intimacy. Daryl. Tears prickled your eyes as he lifted you up and claimed your mouth in a searing kiss that caused your toes to curl. But you shoved as his chest. "Follow me," you ordered. He gave you an inquisitive look, but followed you anyway.

He watched on as you crawled back into the underbrush and pulled Landon out. The recognition on Daryl's face was immediate and he walked over to you slowly. "Is...he's...."

"Yours? Yeah." You handed your baby boy over to his Daddy and took a step back. Seeing them side by side was enough to make you smile. "I didn't know I was pregnant until I started to show. Being sick in the wild isn't uncommon for me, so I didn't think anything of it. His name is Landon." A wolf came barreling toward you and you reached for you knife once again, but Daryl spun around and growled....actually _growled_ at the wolf. It was...one of the sexiest things you'd ever seen. The wolf backed down instantly, but circled around you in the way Tekah used to. Not day went by that you didn't miss your companion. But his offspring looked strong and you felt pride swell in your heart.

"Come on out," Daryl grumbled. A little girl stepped into your line of sight and you fell to your knees with unbridled joy. Arowyn had her daddy's eyes and her mama's everything else. Cute little dimples flashed and she ran over to throw herself into your arms. She smelled of rainwater and something sweet. Your little girl was healthy and -by the looks of the dagger- very capable of handling herself.

"You're so big now! I missed you so much."

"Woah! Do I has a little brother?!"

Landon stared at Daryl and Arowyn like they were aliens from a different planet and Daryl chuckled. There was no doubt that the boy was Dixon. He already had the attitude. "As you can see, he takes after his father quite a bit."

"I missed the hell outta you, Princess."

"Back at you, Dreamy Blues." You walk over and kiss him gently. Daryl presses his forehead against yours and seems to breathe in your scent like he needs it to keep living. You took Arowyn's hand and the four of you walked back to their little camp. It was then that you noticed a well-mannered dog on your heels. "Hey, big guy. You're so cute."

"Don't call him cute. He's a vicious guard dog," Daryl insisted. But the gangly mutt nudged your hand with his nose and you gave him hugs and kisses. It didn't matter how old or how big a dog was, it was puppy to you. Daryl muttered something under his breath, but he wasn't fooling you. There was a smile ghosting at the corner of his lips and it made desire coil in your belly. You took a minute to actually look at Daryl for the first time. His hair was even longer than before and salt and pepper streaked his small bit of facial hair. He had heavy bags under his eyes and a few more signs of age, but he was Daryl. Nothing could ever distract from his beauty. Not to you. He was everything.

"Keep starin' at me like that and I won't be responsible for my actions," he warned. You ducked your head and blushed a little at being caught admiring your husband. "Still gottcha ring?" Daryl asked, but you heard the real question in his voice. He wanted to know if you still cared for him the way you used to. If anything, your affections for Daryl only got stronger. You reach down tug on a necklace around Landon's neck. Dangling from a thin gold chain was your wedding ring.

"I love you, Daryl. Time could never change that," you admitted as you took the ring from the chain and placed it on your finger. He was pleased...maybe too pleased, telling by the cocky lopsided grin he gave you. "Don't you go giving me those eyes, Dixon. We've got kids around us right now."

"Shane's comin' by soon. Maybe you and I can get lost for a little bit." The heat in his gaze made you shiver. You nodded your head and sat down beside Arowyn. She looked up at you with flushed cheeks and stars in her eyes. Her happy little giggle did wonders to soothe the cold dread that had come with not knowing what had happened to your family after you left. She handed you her dagger, but you put it back in the sheath at her hip.

"You keep it, sweetie. I've got plenty of weapons back home."

Something shifted in Daryl's eyes and he bounced Landon up and down as the young boy stared at his daddy's face with something akin to wonder. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "There ain't no home to go back to, Darlin'. Things have changed since you've been gone. Alexandria ain't what it used to be. People...ain't what they used to be."

"The pack?"

"We all keep in touch, but that ain't the same either." He leaned down and kissed your cheek as you struggled to process what he'd told you. Change never quite sit well with you when there was nothing to justify it. You needed to get back to your people and find out what happened. And Rick...you needed to know what happened with Rick.

"Does Michonne know?" you asked. Daryl shook his head. "What about everyone else?"

"Me, Shane, Glenn, and Merle -of course. But that's it. Didn't think anybody should know until we got word from Jadis and her doctors," Daryl explained. "But I want to know everythin' and I mean _everythin'_. Where you've been, what you've been doin', who you've been doin' it with, and anythin' else in between. Got it?"

You sarcastically salute your husband and wink at him when he frowns. Landon suddenly beamed an adorable little smile at Daryl. You looked on as Daryl made his face normal before scowling dramatically, just to make his son laugh. The sound was so cute, no one cared if it drew walkers. In fact...it was the first time you'd ever heard Landon laugh. You pulled Arowyn in for another hug and she tucked her head into your neck. Eventually, both children fell asleep and you helped Daryl lay them down in the tent.

It was nearly noon when Shane stepped out of the treeline. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked like he had seen a ghost. Well, maybe he had...after all, the past two years had been quite rough for you. "Hey, Fuck-face," you said as he yanked you off your feet and pulled you into a big bear hug. Daryl cleared his throat and Shane set you back down. You couldn't help but laugh. Some things just never changed. 


	3. Announcement!

Hello, everyone!

I know I've been gone for a while, but my schedule is very busy. I'm a professional ghostwriter for some of NY Times Best Selling authors and I write between 6-10 novels a month. BUT I see some free time in my schedule coming up and you can expect **WEEKLY **chapter updates for the next couple of months! I'm so excited and I can't wait to jump into the story again. This series was only my second attempt at writing fan fiction and it is 100% freeform without editing, so I can't wait to get started on making this epic story even better with the WHISPERERS!

Thank you for the support and I hope you keep reading!


	4. Out of the frying pan and into the fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will start the regular weekly updates. If there's not a new episode updated on Tuesdays, then one will be up on thursday. Enjoy!

Shane leans against the tree. His dark eyes peer over at you with a million questions hovering in his eyes. You brace your hands on your hips and glance over your shoulder at Daryl where he spears a fish for your daughter to clean. Something about him is different. It's not just the grief or the fatherhood, but something deeper. It was as though he isolated himself because of what Carol had said all those years ago...that Daryl would be the last human to survive this shit. Part of you didn't doubt it. But the other part of you saw what was left of Daryl struggling to hold on to the last shred of his humanity. You turn back to Shane. "What happened? Not just to Daryl, but everybody."

He scratched the back of his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Things just ain't the same. Losing you and Rick really did something to people. It was like we were just part of a group of survivors again instead of a thriving community. The pack ain't in charge anymore, Y/N," he answered. "The factions are still divided. There's tension because no one knows who's going to lead us anymore. Michonne has taken on most of the responsibility, but people challenge her daily. We need someone who will do what's right for everybody and not just-"

"Let me stop you right there," you cut in. "It's the same old song and dance with you, isn't it? God, I haven't been back for even a day and you're already asking me to lead this place. Shane, you have no idea what I've been through since Rick and I got separated from the group. You think community politics are hard? Try wiping out a network of twisted cults that wanted nothing more than to breed people like they were cattle."

"Everyone? Even children?"

"Let's just say these people thought if they were old enough to bleed, they were old enough to breed." You looked down at your feet. Shane knew most of your past and that was fine by you, but seeing some of the things Hydra did to those children broke something inside of you. All of those painful memories and hideous scars flashed through your mind. "I felt no remorse slaughtering every last one of the leaders. I left the communities in tact, allowed them to do what they wanted with the land and resources, but I had to put an end to it."

"I'm sure you did what you could. Damn, I didn't know. None of us knew. We thought we were dealing with real problems meanwhile you were out there neck deep in bullshit by yourself." Shane shook his head and scuffed. "But do you think you're ready to come back? I ain't talking about being a leader. I've got Sanctuary, Michonne is watching Alexandria, Glenn and Maggie have HillTop, Carol and Ezekiel have The Kingdom, Tara's got Oceanside...it all depends on what you plan on doing. You know I'll follow you wherever."

"What about Merle?"

"Merle's still with the Scavengers, but he comes around from time to time. I feel like he's hiding something, but I can't quite put my finger on it." Shane's gaze moved over to your family and his lips curled into a smile. "A little boy, huh? How old is he? Can't be no more than three at the most."

"About that, yeah." You grew serious all of a sudden. "After I dealt with the last of Hydra, I was tranquilized. I ended up in a crate on a an old ship. They were soldiers taking people that wandered along the coast for testing. I fought against them, shank the fucking ship and washed up on a beach in France. A doctor found me. Little did I know, that boat that I sank was taking me to him. The testing facility was being ran by people who used to work for the CDC. They were hoping to find a cure for the virus."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard whispers," you replied. "Some of the doctors had successfully ran trials on over a hundred infected people. It wasn't a cure, but a treatment to keep the virus at bay."

"So, there's hope?"

"I'm not sure I want to try and find it, Shane. The things that lab did in hopes of finding a cure killed a lot more people than it saved. I'm not sure it's worth that many deaths."

He nodded his head and the two of you gathered Daryl, the kids, and the wolves before heading into Alexandria. Shane handed you a map and grinned like a Cheshire cat. "We took the drawings from the old Wolf Den. I figured if anyone knew what direction Alexandria was supposed to move in, it was you. We aren't that far in development, but things are looking good. We have plans to build a mill and a water wheel."

"The war left things pretty messed up. I'm glad you were able to rebuild most of it." You bit your tongue to keep from asking the one question that weighed on your mind. In the time you were gone, there were days when you thought about Negan and all you had been through together. The last time you had seen him...he seemed different. You still had hope for Negan... Something on the map caught your eye. "JG?"

"Judith Grimes," Shane replied. "Michonne is a little upset with me for filling her head with stories of you. But Judith is growing into quite a little spitfire. Her and Arowyn are usually attached at the hip when Daryl is in one of the communities. Carl and Sophia are training the younger kids the same way you trained them. It's...unsettling to a lot of the survivors that have migrated to the communities, but I'm proud of my daughter."

"How is Carl doing without Rick?"

"Carl and Michonne haven't been the same. And with Rick Jr-"

"Rick Jr? Isn't that fucking adorable," you snort. "Is the council still around?"

"Still around, but there are new members."

Alexandria came into view and you saw the crops and the new buildings that had been implemented into the renovations. Daryl gripped your shoulder and held your gaze as though warning you of something. You felt your stomach drop as you got closer to Alexandria. Shane reached into the glove compartment of the large truck and pulled out a pistol...

"What's going on?" Arowyn asked.

You lower your children out of sight and reach across Daryl to grab the knife at the small of his back. Shane stops the jeep in the middle of the road. Alexandria is still quite far away. You heard a slobbery snarl and the wolves were pacing in the back. Daryl jerked his head to the left and you saw a herd moving through the open grasslands. "Communities ain't the only thing that's different, darlin'...the herds are too."

It had been a long time since you came across a herd like that.  
  


_You pulled Rick as fast as you could, following the ravens. If they were fleeing, then so should you._

_"Leave me!" Rick shouted. "If it's something coming after us, then you gotta leave me!"_

_There was an outcrop with a slight cave that looked over a large valley. You pulled Rick over to it and pressed the palm of your hand to his mouth. Your Y/E/C eyes scanned the distance, waiting for the threat to reveal itself. Beneath your hand, you felt Rick swallow nervously. When you were sure he would stay quiet, you removed your hand. What you saw in the valley made Hydra look like a vacation in comparison. Thousands upon thousands of walkers lumbered through the valley. It was the biggest herd you had ever laid eyes on. Rick's eyes widened further and the two of you pressed to the farthest corner of the cave._

_The number of shuffling feet seemed endless as it streamed past your hideout. You looked over at Rick and cursed your foul luck, for he had that look in his eyes. Tears began to stream down your face as he began to mumble, "I need to find my family." You heard a snarl outside and wrapped your arms and legs around Rick from the back. One hand returned to his mouth while the other kept his arms from waving around as he squirmed in your grip. You continued to cry in the dark with your wounded friend who was losing his mind, watching the walkers slowly disappear from sight._

Daryl shook your arm and the tension in the truck had all but disappeared. "You alright, Princess?" he whispered.

"I'm fine."

He didn't believe you. You could see it in his eyes, but Daryl didn't push. He simply pulled you against him and settled in for the rest of the ride. You didn't know how the herds were different, but you weren't looking forward to figuring it out either. Not when the memory of being lost in the wilderness with Rick losing his mind was still fresh. The rumble of the engine lulled you to sleep. Only in Daryl's arms did you feel safe enough to close your eyes. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. "I'll wake ya up when we get there, darlin'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple of chapters will be focused on what happened during the time jump, rebuilding Alexandria, a few of my theories about Rick, and spending time with Daryl. :)


	5. What's left of us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's a warning now that the timeline will not be perfect to what is in the show or in the comic books. This is because I said in the beginning of the series that your character will change things along the way. Hope you still enjoy it. :)

You feel the truck pull to a stop and open your eyes. Daryl grabs Arowyn and you grab Landon. The wolves trail behind you as if naturally sensing your position as Alpha. Missing Tekah would always be a gaping hole in your heart, but his legacy still stands and you're more than grateful for that. Daryl tangles his fingers with yours and walks you through what has become of Alexandria. Most of it you can recognize. Landon squirms in your arms, trying desperately to reach Daryl. He smiles beneath the curtain of hair that covers his face and lifts the toddler into his arms. Arowyn makes faces at her brother, causing the child to chuckle.

The path takes you to where the group used to live and -something large knocks you to the ground. You roll on instinct and pin it to the concrete, lifting your hand to strike only to see the face of Carl Grimes staring back at you. "Holy shit, kid. Don't ever catch me off guard like that." You stand up and offer to help him to his feet. A smile splits Carl's face in two as he yanks you into a crushing hug. "How the hell are you so tall already?!"

"Puberty."

"Tell puberty they're not welcome here."

He punches you in the shoulder playfully. "I missed you. We all missed you. I think...this is the first time I've smiled for real since dad died. He would want us to be happy, at least for Judith's sake, but I just can't pretend all the time."

"From what I heard from Shane, Judith sounds like a smart girl."

Carl snorts and points to a small girl sitting on a front porch. She's wearing Rick's old hat and curled lip as she writes in a notebook. "You should talk to her yourself. She's a lot like you, you know. Michonne blames me and Shane, but Merle and the others have played their part too. One of the best shots in Alexandria by far."

You take no more than two steps before a young woman crosses your path. Sophia. Her hair is down to her hips and she no longer hides the scars on her face. Gone is the armor you designed for her. In its place is something far more...normal. Sophia gives you a little smile and embraces you warmly. She still hasn't found her voice, but she never really needed words to convey her thoughts before. You released her and she moved to stand beside Carl, taking his hand in hers before they walked away.

"Why are they so big?!" you shrieked at Shane.

"I think you should ask yourself whether they're getting bigger or you're getting shorter."

This time, you're the one throwing punches and it lands right against Shane's gut. He bends forward with a pained expression, but you keep on walking. Judith looks up from her perch on the steps and cocks her little head. You kneel down beside her and look down at her book. "I wasn't aware of Alexandria opening any schools. Where'd you learn all of this? I'm not even sure Carl has picked up a book that wasn't meant to put you to sleep since the prison fell."

"I've got a teacher."

"Well, who is it?" You leaned down a little closer, making sure to meet her gaze squarley. "My name is Y/N. I'm sure you've heard by now that you can trust me."

She lifted her hand and offered it to you. "Judith Grimes."

You shook Judith's small hand and waited for her answer. She didn't say a word, simply pointed to the bars just beside the porch. A familiar face appeared between the bars and your hearts topped. You pressed a hand to your chest and struggled to breathe. "Negan?"

"Hey there, baby girl. I sure missed the hell outta you." That charming grin slid across his features slowly, agonizingly. There was a spark in his eyes that proved that he was different. Negan wasn't the psychotic dictator he had been before. And you wondered if you had the Grimes children to thank for that.

Carl came over to you and put his arm around your shoulder. "He teaches Judith some things and hasn't caused any trouble. I've been asking the council for months if we can just integrate him somehow, but Michonne and Maggie aren't having it. Maybe you could talk to them. Get them to see that he's changed."

You look over at Carl. "Why? Why do you think he's changed?"

"Because if he hasn't, is there any hope for the rest of us. I didn't like him after he killed Abraham, but Negan kept Alexandria from being weak. And you have to admit that we aren't perfect. Dad was slowly going insane for a while, Y/N. If anyone did to our people what we did to the saviors, we wouldn't have stopped at just one or two deaths. We would have killed all of them and joked about it at the next pack meeting."

He was right, of course. Had the rolls been reversed, you would have done the same. It was that new world order that Negan often spoke so fondly of. He had prepared a lot of people for the harsh reality of the apocalypse and a lot of people survived because of his recklessness and cruelty. While you didn't condone his methods or twisted logic, you couldn't deny that his way had worked for years. 

"Carl, why aren't the communities united like we talked about?"

"Michonne thought they should stay separated. Something happened while you were away, while Michonne was pregnant with RJ. She was afraid and she didn't want new people coming in. She limited travel between the communities to trade only so that people weren't constantly coming and going."

"What happened?"

"I think you should talk to her about it."

You nodded your head and went to see Negan in his cell. He wasn't cuffed as he had been before you left and his hair was cut short and his beard neatly trimmed. Negan leaned against the bars in a white shirt and worn denim jeans. For a moment, neither of you said anything. You weren't exactly sure there was anything that could be said. So much had happened since you first met Negan that this moment felt superficial. His lopsided grin and boyish dimples didn't hide the cocky swagger and overall arrogance that annoyed the ever-living shit out of you most days. But even when silence was the best way to deal with things, Negan always had something to say.

"You still with the greasy redneck?"

"Daryl and I are married, Negan. We have two children and a pack of wolves to look after. What do you think?"

He reached between the bars and pushed a strand of your hair behind your ear. "I think the constitution of marriage is pointless in a world without a government or established religion. Maybe those things mattered before, but now? Not so fuckin' much. A smart woman like yourself should build her own harem of virile men to-"

You lift your hand to cut off his slew of word vomit. "You tried that, remember? You and all your wives. But they didn't stick around, did they? Hell, Negan, you have to let me go or you'll never be happy."

A sincerity you didn't expect flashed through his gaze. "Looks like I'll just be miserable, then. I told you before, Y/N. There ain't no one good enough for me. My eyes don't wander and neither do my thoughts. It's you or it's nothin' and I'd rather die than to give up on what we could have. I wasn't lyin' when I said I loved you. If letting you go means I'm a terrible fuckin' person, then so be it. I guess I'm still the bad guy."

"Where's Simon?"

"Dead. I killed him with my bare hands."

"And Dwight?"

"He snuck out of Alexandria not long before you left," Negan said while scratching at his beard. "But now that you're back, I'm sure he'll be comin' around. Actually, once word spreads between the communities that you've returned, I imagine there'll be a whole new bag of problems for you to deal with."


	6. The Legacy of Failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Graphic smutt, violence, and questionable coping methods. This chapter is quick and dirty, just like I like it. It's an intimate moment of weakness between the reader and Daryl.

_"Cours te mettre à l'abri!"_

_Your eyes opened to the sound of screams and gunfire. Walkers swarmed the small military camp. The good doctor who found you, led you to a decrepit building. The restraints around your wrist are a precaution until they know you're not a threat. You are...between you and the walkers, you're far more deadly. "Let me go and I can help them," you said to the elderly man. More screams filled the air and you hurried over to a greasy window to peer through the glass. Maybe a hundred or so walkers stood between the soldiers and the beach._

_Coral and algae clung to the goopy, leathery skin of the bloated corpses._

_"Please?! You have to untie me or else they'll all die. Bullets don't last forever and they're making enough noise to draw more from the city." For a moment you wonder if he understood you. But the doctor nodded his head and cut the rope around your wrists. You flexed you fingers to work out the tingles along your arm and crept through the opening on the side of building. The camp was barely visible through the horde of shuffling legs. Gurgles and groans nearly drown out the gunfire, but not quite. You hurry over to broken down car and search for a weapon. There's nothing beneath the seats or in any of the bags, but you opened the compartment that separated the backseat from the trunk and found a crowbar._

_Good enough._

_Your fingers brushed along the metal bar as a hiddeous snarl echoed through the car. A blubbery walker with pus-filled lesions scrambled towards you, a starfish stuck to the right side of its face. You stretched your arm further as the walker crawled over you. Strings of slime fall from its body and drip onto your neck and chest. You gag as you fight off the walker with one hand while trying to get to the crowbar. All the noise began to attract some unwanted attention. You pulled your arm from the trunk and wrapped the seatbelt around the walker's throat so it couldn't reach you._

_A second walker banged against the car and the crowbar rolled towards you. You wrapped your fingers around the bar and swing. The hooked end stuck the walker in the head....but as blood trickled down your arm, you recognized the face of Rick Grimes...._

"Wake up, Y/N!" Daryl's hands shook you until your eyes popped open. He pushed your bangs out of your face and stared into your gaze. "What the hell, Princess? You tryna give me a heart attack?" The rumble in his chest soothed your panic for the moment. 

"Help me forget, Daryl..." You climbed into his lap and kissed him deeply, feeling the scruff of his stubble. Daryl groaned and gripped the curve of your ass, grinding you against the swrlling bulge that strainrd against his pants. In the darkness of the tent, you find home in your husband's arms. "We have to be quiet or we'll wake the kids."

In the other tent, Arowyn sleeps beside he slumbering baby brother surrounded by wolves. They were safe...you were safe...and the heat of Daryl's large palms on your body was too much to ignore. You pull back long enough to yank your shirt over your head. Daryl sucks your tongue into his mouth and then dips his head to nibble on the firm bud of your nipple. You reach down to stroke his engorged cock as he pushes your leathers down.

You feel the calloused tip of his fingers spreading your folds. Daryl teases your pussy with feather-light strokes as you sink your teeth into your bottom lip. You lift off of him a little and push your leathers to your knees. He opens the buckle on his pants and pulls out the heavy girth of his cock. The thick vein running along his length pulses as he strokes himself. You sink down onto him...the burn of your stretching muscles isn't enough to distract from the pleasure as ypu impale yourself on his cock. A sharp gasp escapes your lips and he covers your mouth with his hand. Your breath puffs against the back of his hand as he lets you ride him slowly.

Cream oozes from the slit of your fluttering quim. Your hips work up and down in a tantalizing dance that causes his cock to brush against your pleasure spot. Daryl clamps his hand over your mouth tighter. "I'm close...just let go." He brings his other hand to his lips and sucks his fingers into his mouth. Your muscles seize up as his spit-slick digits press, swirl, and rub against your winking little asshole.

"Cum for me, Baby girl."

A ripple of pleasure courses through your body. You collapse against Daryl as he fucks up into you, drawing out your climax. He cums, bathing your intimate flesh in the hot splash of his release as he bites doen on your shoulder. You continue to clench and spasm, milking every drop from his softening member. Daryl removes his hand and kisses you again. The wet slide of his tongue against yours causes you shiver.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Darlin'," he replied. "Whatever dreams ya got hauntin' you now, I'll be here ta take care of ya. You know I ain't goin' nowhere unless we're together. For the past few years, I planted myself in this forest like a tree...hopin' ya would come back and ya did."

"I'll always come back, Daryl. You're my home."


	7. UPDATE!

Hello, readers! My life has been a mess lately. I had to go in for emergency surgery and there were complications and I needed to be intubated for a while. After surgery, I was in so much pain that I couldn't write and I had a compromised immune system. My rotten luck persisted and I got sick with pneumonia on top of everything else! I'm trying my hardest not to get struck with COVID at the moment, so I'm in quarantine. Please look forward to updates now that I'm out of the hospital! Thanks! 


	8. Negan's Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where Negan and Daryl have a chat about you...let's just say there are good and bad things ahead. 
> 
> WARNING: Negan is Negan and says very Negan things. 
> 
> This is a short chapter, but it's a prelude for what's coming with the Whisperers.

Daryl pushed open the door to Negan's cell and crouched down beside the sleeping man. "Wake up, asshole," he growled. Negan's eyes opened and Daryl felt sympathy for the once powerful leader of the Saviors. It wasn't that long ago that he had seen Rick's fall from grace. "I'm here ta listen to what you have ta say. If I don't like it....I'm gonna kill you and put my wife out of her misery. If you can persuade me, then I'll let you out of this cell." Daryl leaned close to Negan and pulled his knife from his belt. He held it to the man's throat and pressed until a bead of blood trickled down from the cut.

"Alright." There was no snark or sarcasm on the man's face. Negan's smile was nowhere to be found and Daryl knew he was looking at the man behind the legend...the man that love Y/N more than life itself. "But I want to make you a counter offer, jackass. I'll tell you the truth and all of it....and we SHARE her."

"Hell nah."

"Then we ain't got nothin' to talk about, do we?" Negan reclined against his warn out pillow and shut his eyea again. Daryl stood up and closed the cell door wilhile he was still inside. He pace across the floor while flipping his blade into the air before catching it.

"I'm failing," he snarled. "I can't...make her fear go away. I'm man 'nough to admit that it was you who kept her alive while I was fuckin' around doin' stupid shit."

"It has nothin' to do with you, Daryl, and everything to do with her. I'm not the important variable in your fucked up equation." Negan stood up and leaned against the far wall. "She needs more than you can give. More than I can give. If you love her, and I know you do, you won't see this as her being unfaithful. You'll see it as giving your wife what she needs. Her heart is roo big for any one man."

"Talk. Tell me your side of all of this."

"You know mine and Y/N's story, Daryl. You just don't know mine and Rick's," Negan claimed. "In your eyes, I'm the villain, but if roles were reversed...if you had waken up one day and found twenty men dead with no one to answer for it, you would have hunted down their killer. They were fathers and husbands and men who fought so that weaker people could survive. And for the price of those lives your group took, I killed one or two of yours. See how the numbers don't quite match up? I wanted Rick to open his eyes and see that I let you all live despite everything and you repaid me with a punch to the face."

"You deserved it."

"No, I fucking didn't," Negan snapped. "I might be an asshole, but I let a bunch of mass murderers live. The deal we made was broken because your group doesn't know when to quit. Rick and his fucking band of sociopaths wanted to wage war on Sanctuary. Innocent lives were taken. And when I retaliated, all I got was more bullshit. Do you know how many times Carl and I tried to reason with Rick? We tried to negotiate, but that prick couldn't see that he was going to get everyone he loved killed. And he would have if Eugene hadn't sabotaged me."

"Rick wouldn't do that."

"He told me he wasn't going to stop until I was dead. I warned him that more people were going to die if we didn't come to an agreement, but he was willing to sacrifice all of you," he shouted. "I fought to protect my people. I fought for order. Yeah, I did some messed up stuff, but all the blood you and Rick spilled...can you look me in the eyes and tell me it was all justified?..."

Daryl fell silent.

"You raided buildings and outposts, slaughtering my people," Negan explained. "You destroyed Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom because you wanted war. It was all out of spite, Daryl. When I found out my men murdered innocent people, I killed them without hesitation. I fucking strangled Simon with my bare hands because I am a leader and there are rules to this shit! People are a valuable resource. We're all that's left, Daryl. Them dead fuckers outnumber us a thousand to one now. I told Rick he brought all the death onto himself. I warned him....even the fuckin' outpost I was protecting a goddamn baby at was shot up by your group."

"Rick...he's a good leader."

"No, he isn't Daryl," Negan sighed. "I don't doubt that he's a good man, but he ain't a good leader. Leaders don't sacrifice their people when there's an opportunity to negotiate for peace on the table. I liked Rick when he wasn't being a fuckin' serial killer."

Daryl lowerrd his head. He replayed the evwnts that had resulted in the war with Negan and what came after....and Negan was right. The body count didn't match up. Not even close. "It wasn't all Rick," Daryl said finally. "Michonne and I...and Maggie too...we wanted yah dead. 'Specially me for what you done to me in that hellhole. We should have listened to Carl and just stopped with all of the violence when we had the chance. Now, there are people dead because of us...ALL of us, Negan."

"I know, Daryl. More than anyone."

Daryl unlocked the cell once more. "Come on," he grumbled. "Yah need a bath."

Negan shuffled towards freedom. Part of him didn't trust Daryl to keep his word.

"I believe you," the redneck said. "And I want to talk to Y/N about our deal."

"I'm her soulmate, Daryl. She won't refuse me if she has your blessing."


	9. A Little Less Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is getting back together for a big adventure before the Whisperers show up. :)

Your eyes flickered over Alexandria as you stared out the window of Michonne's bedroom. Traces of Rick Grimes lingered like a stench in the air, making you shift uncomfortably. The floorboards creaked beneath your feet and Michonne looked up at you. "You think I was weak, don't you?" she asked tearfully. "I shouldn't have let Jocelyn into Alexandria....I shouldn't have risked everything we fought for."

"I don't think you're weak, Michonne." You moved to sit beside her on the bed. "Rick was taken from you, leaving you with a shattered community and two children to look after. It was a lot to take on. A glimpse of the past reminded you how the world used to be and for a while...I suppose you just wanted to forget reality."

"Daryl hasn't been the same since..."

"He's a father now," you replied. "Seeing what could have become of Judith, Sophia, Carl, or any of the other children if all of us weren't there to protect them was more than he could handle. I saw the scars...I saw the shadows in his eyes that weren't there before. And I see them in you, too."

"I did what I had to do."

"You did. And I don't blame you, but closing off Alexandria won't change what's already happened," you argued. "You can either take all of that anger and pain and use it the way we've always done or you can be crippled by it."

"Those children didn't deserve to die. They were doing what they had been taught to survive," Michonne sobbed.

"You fought for your family and the lives you swore to protect. There's no shame in that." You picked at the hem of your shirt, watching the frayed edges break off into even smaller threads. "I'm glad you and Daryl got away. I'm glad you're still fighting for Alexandria. There's a future here for anyone willing to fight beside you and grave for anyone who stands in your way. Rick isn't here. His ways of doing things are over, but that doesn't mean time stands still."

"What?"

"You're stuck. Everyone is," you said. "Rick and I got caught in that blast and it's like you all stopped living. One day at a time, right? One brick stacked, one seed planted, and one more house built on the land soaked in the blood of those who died. Since when is that enough for us?"

"The communities are rebuilding. Our children are safe. We have running water and we're growing crops. The plans we made are thriving-"

"And then what?" You asked. "Stability isn't safety. We know that better than anyone. Cowering behind walls isn't how we do things. Barriers fall and people die."

"I don't know what you want from us."

"We should be moving. Setting up other communities, clearing out the herds, taking back the cities, and stop trying to carve a future out of the past when there's already one ripe for the picking."

Footfalls sounded in the hallway. Daryl cleared his throat to alert you of his arrival. You hugged Michonne and followed Daryl to a small house not far from where Aaron and Gracie lived. He led you insode and turned on the lights. A low chuckle vibrated the air and Negan sat with a shit-eating grin on his face. "What the hell is this, Daryl?!" You watched as he removed his vest and dropped it on the double bed that was pushed up against the far wall. He ran his fingers through freshly washed hair and looked over at Negan...who also looked as if he had bathed recently.

"The thing about wolf packs, Sweetheart, is there can be more than one Alpha. You and me," Daryl growled in the small space. "And Negan."

"Negan?" You glared over at the man in question and felt something dark claw at your insides. Negan stood up.and sauntered over to you with that infuriating swagger of his. White teeth flashed in the shadowa and stubble brushed your cheek as he leaned close to your ear.

"He's tired of all the talks. Daryl and I have come to a little arrangement. And we've agreed that the best thing for everyone is to stop fighting the inevitable."

"You and Daryl decided?" you scuffed.

"You tend to talk in the form of a question when you're nervous, Baby Girl," he countered smoothly. Negan crowded you as your gaze slid to Daryl. A hand brushed your hip and you gasped. "You belong to us, Y/N. Daryl and I will give you what you need..." Soft lips caressed your neck and a moan escaped your lips.

Daryl's eyes snapped with lust and he palmed himself through his pants. The muscles of his arms flexed with every little motion. "I'm alright with it. Don't worry about me, princess."

"Someone's going to get hurt."

Negan tugged you closer. "We've devided that the only thing we aren't willing to live with is being without you. If we have to tolerate each other in order to be what you need, then to hell with everything else, right?"

"What anout the others?" you asked. "Letting you walk around freely could start another war."

Daryl moved in and pressed up against you from behind. He snaked his arms around your waist, nuzzling into the other side of your neck. "We'll talk to everyone. If they can't accept what this is, then we'll make our own paradise."

"And leave behind our pack?"

"Our pack won't have a problem with this," Daryl insisted. "Even Shane comes to visit Negan every once in a while. It's Sasha and Rosita who won't be happy."

"And everyone else who lost someone to the Saviors." You licked your lips and shoved Negan away, stepping out of Daryl's arms. "I need time to think about this..." The door ooened and you rushed out of the house in a flash. Your heart pounded inside your chest. Children laughed and played outside, people tended to the gardens, and the world kept spinning as if your life hadn't just been catapulted into a weird fourth dimension. Daryl and Negan...Daryl and Negan...it was as if your every dream and every nightmare had come true. It wasn't safe. It wasn't sane. Nothing good could come of it....but there was something back there that had felt so right. It had felt like a missing puzzle piece had found a home in your fucked up little life.

You climbed up the walls of Alexandria and stared at the decrepit wasteland beyond the safety of the community. There was a threat on the horizon, you could feel it in your bones. Questions needed to be answered and a council of bootlickers wasn't going to find them. It was time to push on.

"What's on your mind?" Aaron asked as he climbed up beside you.

"I've seen what's out there."

"Fallen cities?"

"Yes," you chuckled. "But so much more than that. There are things we'll need, things that will determine whether we survive what's to come or not. And we'll need the Wolf Pack to get the job done."

"How long will it take? Another three years?" Aaron forced you to look him in the eyes. "People here are counting on us."

"Michonne, Glenn, Carl, Sophia, and Carol can stay behind. Sasha, Eugene, Rosita, Gabriel, and Tara, too. But I need you, Daryl, Jesus, Shane, Merle, Dwight....and Negan."

"What's the plan?" Aaron uttered. There was a look of confusion in his eyes. No one trusted Negan, but...you needed him no matter how hard you tried to deny it.

"I hid a cache of military rations, weapons, ammo, armor, and a fuck ton of explosives on Kodiak Island. The herds are getting bigger and, sooner or later, they'll come knocking on our doors."

"What were you doing in Alaska?"

Hydra was gone. You had killed them all and barely survived it. And yet the fear of them resurfacing still crept up inside of you. "I was taking care of a few loose ends."

"When do we leave?"

"Send word to the Kingdom, HillTop, Sanctuary, and Oceanside. We'll leave in two week's time. Be ready."


	10. Welcome Back, Old Friend.

A metallic swish filled the air as you tossed a knife before catching it between your fingers. The rumble of an old truck approach Alexandria and a smile curled upon your lips. Negan bumped you wil his shoulder and you glanced up at him. "It's about time you cleaned yourself up a bit," you snorted. "If that beard had gotten any longer, your call name would have been Santa."

"Shut up." He dipped his head and sttole a kiss before you could react. "I like what you did with your hair. Looks like a Viking or some shit. Badass."

A faint blush appeared on your cheeks and you shoved away from him. Daryl came through the gate with Aaron and the four of you met up with Shane. The old truck sputtered as it retreated from Alexandria once again. "Merle said he'll meet us at HillTop. Jesus isn't sure if Dwight is comming. No one has heard from him," Shane announced as he rubbed his head nervously.

"He'll come." You were certain of it. Dwight had never let you down before. He was loyal.

Shane and Aaron rode up front while you, Daryl, and Negan hunkered down in the back. It felt nice with the wind against your face and the sun beating down on you. But the scent of alpha males infiltrated your senses. Negan smelled of mint, leather, and clean sweat while Daryl smelled of the earth. Damp soil and the forest after it rained....all of it was a heady concoction that made you squirm between them. Negan noticed your discomfort and that wolfish grin came out to play. Dimples winked and his eyes sparkled mischievously, but it was Daryl's hand that moved down to grip your thigh.

A warm puff of air slithered across your neck and ears, causing you to shiver. They closed in, trapping you between two walls of muscle. Daryl turned his back to the front of the truck. His breadth of his large shoulders blocked the view from Shane and Aaron. You opened your mouth to protest, but Negan's tongue slid inside. He kissed you harshly, deep with a claiming bite that caused a trickle of slick to pool between your thighs...thighs that Daryl parted as he slid his rough hands along the seam of your leathers. Negan's hand pinned your knee off to the side as Daryl inched his fingers beneath the waistline of your pants. You moaned into Negan's mouth, battling him for dominance even when every part of you wanted to submit. The first brush of Daryl's finger against your clit sent you spiraling into madness. Teasing, ticklish strokes kept you on edge as Negan's hand joined Daryl's. The stretch of your leathers looke absurd, but the pleasure was exquisite. Thick digits dipped into your molten center. Negan broke the kiss and whispered, "You like that, baby girl? You like when I play with your sweet little pussy? I can't wait to taste you again. Fuck. I'd lick you from clit to asshole and watch you squirm beneath me."

His crude words washed over you like a current of electricity. You didn't want to be turned on by Negan's filth, but you were. Especially when he hooked his fingers towards that special spot inside of you. Daryl growled and sank his teeth into your neck as his fingers danced over your clit faster. The pressure built. Each bump in the road added to the thrust of Negan's fingers. Daryl trapped your clit between his thumb and forefinger. "Rock your hips, darlin'. Fuck yourself on his hand." The rasp of his voice was all you needed. Your hips bucked and you shuddered, rocking with the flow of the truck until the pressure released. Daryl claimed your mouth in a heated kiss as Negan stroked you through the orgasm. He pulled his hand free and sucked his fingers into his mouth with a filthy moan that caused Shane to look over his shoulder.

"Seriously?! Stop fuckin' around and keep an eye out for walkers!"

Daryl finally pulled away and you fought to catch your breath. The ride to Hilltop went quicker after that. The gate opened and Jesus rushed out to greet you. "I'm so glad you're back. I knew you weren't dead," he claimed almost smugly before embracing Aaron. "Merle is inside. No sign of Dwight just yet."

"He'll be here."

"We leave in a day. I'm not sure he'll get here in time."

You patted Jesus on the arm and smile. "He'll be here."

The group mosied into the house and ducked into Maggie's office to talk over plans. Glenn sat behind the desk and flipped through HillTop's plans to expand the crops. You didn't envy him. "So, we need to stop in Chicago as we make our way North. The city is swarming with walkers and a few survivor groups that worship the dead. They call themselves the Cerberus. They believe Hades sent a plague of death to humanity to cleans the earth. They're stupid, but they know how to get you in a corner and overwhelm you with numbers."

"What's in Chicago?"

"New gear, solar powered walkie-talkies, and some equipment. Grappling hooks, snow gear, and anything else we'll need to get to Alaska," you replied. "It's winter up there and you boys haven't trudged through waist-high snow."

"Shit," Negan grumbled. "Sounds like a fuckin' party. When do I get Lucille back?"

"You aren't getting a weapon until I say so."

He stood up and came toe to toe with you in a flash. "You know I don't need a weapon to kill someone. If I was going to off somebody, I would have strangled them with my bare hands or beat their brains in with my fists."

"No weapons until I say so."

He sat back down with a huff, but the state of his blatant erection showed that the argument hadn't tampered his libido one bit. Aaron made an ick face and scooted away from Negan. You laughed to yourself and sat in Daryl's lap. "We'll talk about the rest when Dwight gets here."

* * *

Darkness crept over HillTop. Shadows spilled out of every corner, a lantern flickered over your head. You stood outside of the gate with a knot tightening in your gut. A twig snapped and you struck fast. The knife spun as it left your hand. A startled shout came from the trees and you hauled ass towards the sound. The blade wobbled and Dwight was sprawled on the ground beneath where it had stuck in the tree. If he hadn't dropped in time, it would havenlanded between the eyes. "Don't sneak up on me," you chuckled.

"You could have killed me!"

"But I didn't." You pulled him in for a hug, glad to see he had put on some weight. He clung to you like ivy. "It's good to see you, D."

"Heard you had quite an adventure out there. Shit...we thought you were dead. What the hell happened?"

"I...I'm not ready to talk about all of it. Not yet....not when it's still fresh in my mind."

"You need Negan?"

You nodded slowly, regretfully. "Yeah. He's the only one who can break me out of this."

"What about Daryl?"

"He'll be waiting on the otherside to show me the way back to the light again. I don't want to, but I love them both."

"You always have." Dwight shrugged. "Come on. I've got a bone to pick with Merle Dixon and then we'll be on our way."

"A bone to pick?"

"There's no way you had survived that blast without him knowing."


	11. Like Olf Times

**Outskirts of Chicago, Illinois**

You stared through the lenses of greasy binoculars and blew a strand of hair out of your eyes. The city was in flames. Factions marked off their territories with symbols written in blood. Dwight leaned against a rotting brick wall beside you as he chewed on his fingernails. Shane sat just a few feet away as well, sharpening his machete. Between the seven of you, there were two knives, a crossbow, longbow and quiver, and a few pistols...which meant there wasn't enough to take on the groups within the city. "Cerberus has the east and the Tribes have the west and south."

"Who owns the rest?" Negan griped as pulled a splinter from his palm.

"He calls himself the Defender. Crazy fucker thinks he can communicate with walkers," Dwight answered. "Walks around covered in guts, movin' like he's one of the dead."

"He got a group?"

You nodded and handed Dwight the binoculars. "A bunch of unknowns holed up in an old high school. The Defender goes out and loots the city, attacking the other groups with herds of walkers, and then he brings it back to the people who vow to worship him."

"And what exactly does this worship entail?"

"They get shelter, protection, water, food, and their loved ones safe within the walls...and he takes the worshippers...the Devoted...and turns them into monsters."

Negan chuckled and held his arms out as if begging the madness of the world to take him. "Sweetheart, we are the monsters."

"Not like this," you argued. "He twists them, turns them into creatures of his own making."

Daryl placed his hand gently on your shoulder. "What's he doin' to 'em?"

"He blinds them, sharpens their teeth, and pumps them full of drugs. His voice is...hypnotic -calm and soothing even when he's torturing them. They're brainwashed to follow orders, to kill anything that moves through the halls of the school," you explained. "They either eat their prey or leave it to turn."

"And the Tribe? What do they do?"

"The Tribe believes the walkers are wendigos, minions of the Wendigo Spirit -a creature out of old fables that feeds on human flesh. It's an ancient Native American boogeyman summoned by the greed of mankind...spreading hunger and sickness."

Shane cursed quietly. "Sounds like we're stuck between batshit crazy and some fucked up mad scientist shit."

"He was."

"He was, what?" Shane asked with a frown.

"The Defender was a mad scientist. Actually, he was a neurobiologist that specialized in addiction. In his spare time, he specialized in fear."

Jesus stood up from his seat and approached you. "How do you know all of this?"

"Let's just say...if you run into the Devoted, pray they kill you. Being captured is far worse tgan any death you could imagine." You pulled away from the group and slung your bow over your shoulder. The sound of a helecopter drew nearer. Daryl and the others followed you up to the roof just as Merle slid down from the helecopter by rope. He kissed your cheek and ruffled Daryl's hair like he was still a child.

"What the hell brought us to this shithole?" Merle complained. "I'd rather smooth out thr wrinkles on my ballsack with a clothing iron than face off with these crazy freaks."

"There's a cache."

"And when you say cache....you mean what?"

"I mean a stockpiled warehouse," you said with a smirk.

Merle watched as the helecopter flew away and shrugged. "What the hell. I got nothing better to do anyway."

**Ten minutes later...**

Tears stung your eyes as you crouched low to the ground. Tufts of black smoke roiled towards the cerulean sky. Aaron coughed and sputtered as you helped him over the barricade near the south end of the city. Red handprints marked the area as Tribe territory. Jesus and Shane covered you from the back as Daryl and Merle scouted ahead. The second you stepped into the city Cerberus swarmed the dead with flamethrowers, sending noxious clouds of smoke your way.

The Wolf Pack moved swiftly, keeping out of aight as they weaved through the streets. Negan picked up a pipe from the ground and swung it, knocking a walker in the head. A spray of blackened blood splashed over his smiling face. "Hell, I missed this."

"Get down!" Dwight snarled as he sjoved Negan behind cover. "You let them know we're here and we all die. Got that?"

"Wowie! Look who grew himself some balls while he was-"

You grabbed Negan and slammed him against the wall. The edge of your blade kissed the tanned flesh of his neck and a crimson bead trickled down his throat as he swallowed. "Back when Sanctuary was yours, you might have thought you were running shit, but out here? Out here, I'm the fucking empress of this wasteland, the goddess of your existence. You don't sneeze without my permission. Got it?"

Negan leaned closer to your face as if the knife to his throat was meaningless. "I am hard as a rock right now."

Daryl pulled you away from Negan and the pack huddled into a nearby vacant building. You signaled to Jesus and Merle. "Sweep the place. There may be stragglers. Shane, Daryl, and Negan, I want you to keep watch while I bandage Aaron's ribs."

Once you were alone, Aaron straightened to his full height and shook his head. "This plan is ridiculous," he whispered. "That fall wouldn't have broken my ribs and you know it, Y/N. Tell me what this is about."

"I've got a guy in the city. He's supposed to be dead, but we both know that's not always the case. He helped a friend of mine, but Troy is a bit.much for some people to handle."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I need you to take him out of the city," you replied before digging in your bag. You pulled out a few scraps of paper and handed them to Aaron. "These are directions to a farm in Wisconsin. Take Troy there and then meet us at the border of Canada. From there, we'll head to Alaska."

"If this cache is stockpiled, why are we still going?"

"The location is too dangerous. Sooner or later, the others will find it and then what? The cache on Kodiak Island can be brought to Alexandria and the other communities. Trust me."

Aaron nodded. "What are you going to tell the others if they ask about me?"

"I'll tell them I sent you back because you were hurt and you were worried about slowing us down," you replied rationally. "Rovia trusts me."

"Keep him safe."

"I will. You know I will."

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read the first two parts of the series, you might be very lost while reading this one.


End file.
